Kurt Suzuki

The big trade deadline shoe dropped early Thursday morning, and it landed in an unexpected place for an unexpected value. The Boston Red Sox dealt their ace and pending free agent left-hander Jon Lester as well as outfielder Jonny Gomes and some cash to the Oakland Athletics for outfielder Yoenis Cespedes and a competitive balance draft pick in 2014. The first thought: Wow. The second thought is that the Athletics, who have baseball’s best record and had already added starters Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel this summer, are without a doubt the favorite to represent the American League in the World Series. That said, Cespedes was a big part of Oakland's offense --...

Related "Kurt Suzuki" Articles

The big trade deadline shoe dropped early Thursday morning, and it landed in an unexpected place for an unexpected value.
The Boston Red Sox dealt their ace and pending free agent left-hander Jon Lester as well as outfielder Jonny Gomes and some cash...

MINNEAPOLIS – The Orioles opened a 40-man roster spot Sunday when they outrighted infielder David Adams to Double-A Bowie.
Orioles manager Buck Showalter said the move wasn’t related to another pending transaction, but he said the flexibility it...

Oakland Athletics closer Jim Johnson struggled once again Wednesday, but the offense bailed him out in extra innings in a 7-4 win over the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.
With a 4-2 lead entering the bottom of the ninth, Johnson allowed a single to...

SARASOTA, Fla. -- The Orioles will travel to Fort Myers, Fla., today for a 1:05 p.m. game against the Minnesota Twins.
Right-hander Bud Norris will start for the Orioles. Other available pitchers include Zach Britton, Alfredo Aceves, Brad Brach,

There have been more rumors floating concerning free agent pitcher Ervin Santana and the Orioles.
The best I can glean is that the Orioles maintain interest in the veteran right-hander and wouldn’t blink at all about surrendering their third-round...

The Orioles have acquired minor league catcher David Freitas as the player to be named later in the deal that sent closer Jim Johnson to the Oakland Athletics for infielder Jemile Weeks last week.
Freitas, 24, was selected in the 15th round out of the...

With Major League Baseball's trade deadline Wednesday at 4 p.m., Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo does not see the next two days as an opportunity to blow up a struggling team or a chance to spark a late-season push.
"We're going to...

The clinic that Orioles right-hander Freddy Garcia put on Thursday night against the Washington Nationals wasn't one in power pitching, but it was effective nonetheless. After the Orioles and Nationals combined for 14 homers the previous two nights, the...

Through the first two months of the Orioles' season, second baseman Ryan Flaherty's reputation hinged much more on his glove than his bat.In 30 games, Flaherty was perfect in the field. At the plate, though, he struggled, starting the year 0-for-17 and...

The last time Orioles closer Jim Johnson had walked off the mound, it was after his fourth blown save in five opportunities Sunday, when was unable to preserve a three-run ninth-inning lead in a 6-5 walk-off loss to Toronto at Rogers Centre.
But...

Orioles right-hander Jason Hammel, even when he has put up a so-called “quality start” this season, has been visibly and vocally disappointed by how he has pitched.
By his exacting standards, he needs to do more, command his fastball better and last...

George Horton ran a college baseball powerhouse at Cal State-Fullerton, the kind of program that had no place for someone like Kurt Suzuki. Horton had never seen or heard of Suzuki before a scout pal mentioned the high schooler in Hawaii.
"We didn't...

As the Orioles went 5-1 on this week’s six-game homestand, it’s been an eventful week for right-handed reliever Pedro Strop.Earlier this week, with closer Jim Johnson hospitalized with food poisoning, Strop had the opportunity to step into the...

Orioles right-hander Jason Hammel says he's a much different pitcher from the one who last faced the New York Yankees in 2008.Through four starts this season, Hammel — acquired in the February trade that sent No. 1 starter Jeremy Guthrie to the Colorado...

Just another day at Camden Yards, right? Another ho-hum, garden-variety 5-2 win Sunday, this time over the Oakland Athletics? OK, maybe not. Say what you will about this team and where it'll end up at season's end. But right now, you can't deny this: The...

As Wilson Betemit rounded third, he flung his batting helmet in the air and charged headfirst into the mob awaiting him at home plate.
A remarkable comeback struck quickly -- the stadium siren blaring and the seating bowl fervent -- with the Orioles,...

The constant rain falling on Camden Yards presented an inviting opportunity for the Orioles against the Athletics on Saturday night.
If the Baltimore bats could find holes in the soggy outfield, the Orioles could take their chances on the base paths,...

The final, frantic moment of another discouraging and depressing afternoon of Orioles baseball featured pinch runner Blake Davis sprinting around third base and eyeing the Oakland Athletics' catcher and his former Cal State Fullerton teammate, Kurt...

In the days leading up to Brian Matusz's return to the big leagues, Orioles manager Buck Showalter was asked several times about what he was looking to see from the 24-year-old left-hander.
His answer didn't include mention of the stadium radar gun,...